New Mature Runners Thread

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  • Evening all,

    WtnMel, your "mystery tour" of 6 miles sounds very interesting, especially the encrypted "listening stones." Did you have a try at deciphering the letters and numbers?
    Well done for your gardening which is excellent cross training.

    I ran 6 miles on roads this morning bringing my mileage for this week so far to 42.5. I might try another 7.5 miles tomorrow to bring my total to 50. If I make it, it will be my highest weekly mileage for several years.
  • Good Evening All,

    HS, Well done on your weekly mileage!  Your ten miler into the wind sounds brutal. I foresee a very strong birthday marathon in your future :smile:
    Thank you for the detailed descriptions of the parkruns. I relayed the information to my husband (non-runner), and even he thinks they sound fun.  Who knows maybe he will sign up, as well.  
    Do you get snow where your live?

    WtnMel, the listening stones sound fascinating!  But, I had to google GCHQ :blush: 
    I envy your lengthy gardening season.  Our gardens were put to bed a couple of months ago and the ground is too frozen to dig now.  
    Your walking tour sounds like a lot of fun.  I do hope that you bring a camera and share some photos.  

    DamienNagle, great job on your windy run.  

    I managed a very weird 7.5 miles today on the treadmill.  My heart rate kept spiking when I was running at what was supposed to be a pretty easy effort. and it felt like my legs were moving at a faster pace than the treadmill was telling me they were moving. I had planned on 8 miles, but I ended up stopping at 7.5 miles because the whole experience was frustrating. After I got off, it dawned on me that the treadmill's sensors might have gotten messed up either from the move or because it is now sitting on carpet (not ideal).  I have to wonder if lint isn't getting kicked up.  I may have to put a piece of plywood under it.  I'm looking forward to get back outdoors!

  • Hillstrider
    Good milage that!
  • Good afternoon everyone,

    Molly, thanks! I decided not to run today, as I thought running the extra miles for the sake of it could be counter productive. I don't want to injure my knee again and be back to square one.
    WtnMel, is right about it being necessary for running clubs to start parkruns as they need to provide marshalls, time keepers etc for the runs. The usual practice is for other clubs to help out with these duties. E mails are regularly circulated to other clubs when there are shortages etc. The officials don't all have to be club runners though, as family members, children etc can help. Permission is also necessary though for the runs to take place from the landowners.
    We haven't had any snow in Hampshire for over a year.
    Well done for your 7.5 miles on the treadmill. There is no way that I could do that. About 5 minutes is my limit. I don't know why, but I just can't get "the hang of them!"

    Thanks Damien! As I mentioned above, I decided not to run today as I don't want to push my luck.
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Afternoon all,

    Damien - well done re your parkrun time bearing in mind those conditions.

    HS - we tried deciphering the stones while we were looking at them but needless to say, none of us could make head or tail of them. Checking online later, I found how it had been done (but won't bore you with the details here). Have to say 42.5mls is wonderful for a week's mileage .. I'm happy to manage that in a month!

    Molly - ha-ha .. GCHQ works in conjunction with the NSA in the USA! The lawn was still a bit soggy so after me cutting down and digging up the lavender bush, it looked a bit the worse for wear. But I'm sure it'll soon recover. Hope you manage to sort out those gremlins with your treadmill.

    I often run on a Sunday but Margaret was getting 'cabin fever' from not having been out for any exercise for a few weeks. So we had a walk from Pittville Park to Cheltenham Spa (railway station) and had a coffee and pasteis de nata (custard tart to you and me) before walking back to the car. A 5ml round trip and Margaret feels much better as a result.

    I'm off to our local physio tomorrow morning to see if she can help with my right shoulder (hasn't felt right since doing some heavy-duty strimming a couple of months ago) so I plan to go for a run in the afternoon.
  • Good Evening All,

    HS, Your restraint in not chasing mileage is admirable, and smart.  It's so easy to get caught up in the chase and wake up to an overuse injury. I hope that I will be as smart when I am able to run full mileage again.
    I was thinking that it might be worth mentioning the spots for possible parkruns to the powers that be at the running stores in our area.  The stores tend to be hubs for clubs, and runners in general, and a good place to gauge interest in (or even awareness of) the parkruns.
    Clearly, I'm living in the wrong Hampshire.  Life without snow sounds wonderful at the moment.

    WtnMel, At least I didn't have to google NSA :smile:
    My husband took a look at my treadmill and found that the little magnetic sensor thingy (technical term), was a little off. He adjusted it and we'll see if that helps. He also purchased some rubber mats to go under the treadmill to offset any static electricity that might be causing lint to adhere to the machinery. However, they smell very strongly of rubber, and are 'airing out' on the back porch at the moment.  My fingers are crossed that the gremlins will be successfully banished.  

    Today was 40 minutes on the bike followed by some strength training, and tomorrow is a rest day.  I'm really hoping to get outdoors for at least a couple of runs this week. 




  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Morning all,

    Molly - I now have visions of you running on your treadmill with a peg on your nose until the rubber smell dissipates :) 

    Of course, when I was thinking I'd go for a run this afternoon, I forgot I'd be dismantling the xmas tree and chopping it up into the recycling bin (hopefully won't take too long).

    Off to see the physio shortly - will report back later on what she had to say about my shoulder.
  • Afternoon all,

    Molly When I had a treadmill I was advised to purchase a thick rubber mat too. I must admit it did smell a bit, but I kept the treadmill in our draughty garage, so didn’t really notice the smell too much. I do think though that the mat helped to absorb some of the vibrations and noise. 

    It’s a good idea to mention about parkrun to your local running stores, I’m sure people would be glad to sign up if one got started. After all, where else can you find a free weekly timed 5k (did HS mention the t shirts they award when you’ve completed 50, 100 or 250 parkruns? There’s also t shirts for the volunteers). I do hope you can get some interest generated in the idea amongst local clubs.

    WtnMel Sorry to hear you’re having problems with your shoulder, I hope your visit to the physio today was helpful. 

    We took our tree down on Saturday. I find once Christmas is over the tree looks a bit out of place and I’m quite glad to see it go.

    I loved hearing about your encrypted stones, what a nice addition to your run. Maybe you should take it in turn to introduce a “mystery” element into your club runs?

    HS your ten miler on Friday sounded pretty exhausting. I hate running when it’s as windy as that. Good job you didn’t lose your cap (have you tried using a buff on your head when it’s too windy for a cap?). Good idea to resist the temptation to round your weekly mileage off at 50 miles. No sense taking risks when you don’t need to, it would be so annoying to get another injury when you’ve been so patient with your return to fitness.


    My 12k yesterday was hard work as my legs were still heavy from Wednesday’s muddy 9k, and yet again I developed a stitch after a couple of miles, which was very frustrating. It was a new route for me but an enjoyable one, although a little muddy and completely flooded in a couple of places in the last mile. I remembered reading that the organisers had said there would be a detour around the worst flooding, so when I saw the runner in front of me turning off into some bushes I followed her. Unfortunately it wasn’t a detour, just lots of bramble bushes. I persevered, thinking they must give way soon to a clearer path, but they didn’t. I struggled to pull branches back or crawl under impenetrable growth and got my clothing and hair caught in the spikey branches repeatedly. I thought about turning back, but realised other runners had followed me in and it would be impossible to find a way past them, plus I felt a little responsible for leading them this way, so I pressed on and eventually came out just past the worst of the water. Some runners were bravely charging through it, despite it coming up to their shins. Soon after we came to a deeper flood where a photographer had set up his tripod. This time there was nothing to be done except to run/wade through it. Having once run through a pile of autumn leaves and twisted my ankle on a hidden obstacle (branch) I’m now very wary of running through anything where I can’t see the surface below, so I sort of “plodged” (Geordie word) through it. It was shin deep and very cold. As I squelched to the finish I was glad I’d brought dry shoes and clothes to change into. I hadn’t known what to expect for a finishing time, as I tend to stick to 10ks these days, but I’d estimated around 1.15 or 1.20, so my actual time of 1.29 was disappointing. I’d like to think if my legs had been fresher, and I hadn’t had to take a couple of rests due to the stitch I might have been closer to my estimate. Who knows?

  • Evening all,

    WtnMel, I was only half joking when I mentioned you trying to decipher the stones.I imagined it would be impossible. Your walk with Margaret yesterday sounded nice, rounded off with coffee and custard tart. I'm not posh either😁
    Hope your visit to the physio regarding your painful shoulder was beneficial?

    Molly, thanks. I think that I made the right decision by taking a rest day yesterday.
    I'm glad to hear that you intend mentioning to the powers that be at the local  running stores, possible parkrun sites. I suppose that you could discuss it on your local facebook pages to see if there is much interest. 
    Well done for your bike ride followed by strength training yesterday and I hope you enjoyed today's rest day?

    Aquarius, my 10 miler on Friday was really tough. The reason I was wearing my cap was because it was forecast rain. I would have worn a thermal hat otherwise. I usually wear a buff round my neck, like a collar, although I wasn't wearing it on that occasion. To be honest, I often forget to wear it when I should, because it certainly helps to keep me warm. I feel the cold more now at my age, but am still wearing shorts.
    Your 12k cross country yesterday sounded really tough, and like cross country races used to be "in the good old days!" I had to laugh when you mentioned following a lady runner into the bushes, as that is usually due to a call of nature! That could be very embarrassing😮 I think that your race time was very impressive, especially in the circumstances.

    I ran 6 miles in a different area of the forest this morning with Sarah H. It was on gravel  trails which had dried out since a previous run a week or so earlier. It was very cold and the icy wind was really cutting. I was wearing my thermal hat this time, thank goodness.
  • Good Evening All,

    WtnMel, How is your shoulder. I hope that chopping up your Christmas tree didn't make it worse. Was the physio appointment helpful?


    Aquarius, Oh my gosh, what an adventure you had :smiley: Similar to HS, I initially thought that following the other runner into the bushes was going to take you into an awkward situation. Good for you for leading the pack of runners behind you to dry land.  And, ick!. I really hate running in squelchy shoes.  I'm so glad that you had the forethought to bring warm comfy things to change into.  Some races are just for the satisfaction of having toughed them out.  Personally, I think there should be bigger medals for adventure races.

    I don't know of a runner who doesn't like to collect race shirts. I will make a point of mentioning the parkrun t-shirts when I go into Portsmouth (where the nearest running store is).  I'll probably get there in the next couple of weekends.


    HS, Sadly, I don't do much in the way of social media, and I'm not on Facebook. In fact, that is why I discovered this thread. I had gone hunting for the Runners World US forum only to find out that it had closed quite a while ago and moved to Facebook. I poked around some and discovered that the UK Runners World Forum was still open. Yay! I am now an internet expat :smile: I do promise to get to the running store in the next couple of weeks. Honestly, this is a tough season to sell people on outdoor runs.  But, I'll give it a solid try.

    I am glad that you remembered your hat this time!  Do you still run into roaming livestock at this time of year? 
  • Good evening all,

    Molly, I resisted joining facebook for many years, but weakened and joined shortly before Christmas. I do try to restrict myself to the clubs private pages though. We thought we were going to lose the RW forums too, when the American one shut down. It was completely rehashed and lost the majority of loyal posters. Our "Mature Runners" thread was deleted with all its history, and I restarted it as "New Mature Runners" back in 2016, I think. 
    I can understand the reluctance to run outdoors in your neck of the woods, with such cold temperatures and snow.
    There are  ponies and cows in the forest all year round, and unfortunately there are quite a few animals run over by speeding drivers ignoring the 40 mph speed limit.

    This morning was a spin session which was a mixture of hill climbing and flat sprints. 
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Evening all,

    Sorry I didn't get back on here yesterday .. the physio visit was useful .. and the xmas tree is still in place! (see below).

    Aquarius - I have my treadmill in my garage but have never needed any sort of mat to absorb the vibrations (it seems to have good in-built suspension). I wondered about more 'mystery' runs - but tbh, I just follow the others when we're out running around Cheltenham. I occasionally recognise where we are but the roads in between are sometimes a mystery to me so I wouldn't be very good at leading one! :) I'm not surprised your 12k was hard work after Wed's muddy 9k. I smiled at the idea you couldn't turn back in the brambles because other runners had blindly followed you. Good planning to take some dry kit to change into and a good time considering the conditions. 

    HS - having seen the details of the cipher they used for those stones (a 'Playfair' cipher - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playfair_cipher - if you wanted to read about it) it was impossible for us lowly runners to decipher those stones. I'm in tracksters - my shorts have lain unworn in my chest of draws for quite a few weeks now. 

    Molly - see below re my shoulder and the xmas tree. I've been on Facebook for a few years - it helps me keep up to date with what my running club is doing (along with the website) but also means I can keep in touch with old friends. I certainly don't use it endlessly every day to post nonsense about what I'm doing/eating or all the other 'fluff' people tend to do. I did wonder whether we 'Mature Runners' ought to befriend each other on Facebook in case Runners World UK suddenly decided to do away with the forums like they did with the US ones and we lost touch with each other - but that doesn't seem to be likely to happen (crosses fingers!).
      
    The physio is within walking distance as its in the village (have been told by U3A members to call it a village - Cheltenham is the town!) so easy to get to. After some chat about what had caused the problems (I explained about strimming the very long grass) the physio had me doing various movements and then manipulated me herself. The upshot was she was able to diagnose that the problem is one of the muscles that hold the shoulder in place - collectively referred to as the rotator cuff but it's the one that runs across the top of the back of the shoulder called the infraspinatus. She applied some strapping - I did asked what it does and she said it 'reminds' you of where you have the problem - can't say I'm convinced tbh. Anyway, I've got another appointment booked for next Monday and some exercises to do in the meantime to work that particular muscle.

    As for the xmas tree .. Margaret wasn't too bothered when it comes down and I didn't get round to it yesterday. So I'll try and get round to it tomorrow. 

    I ran 4mls this morning .. planning to get out again to the club run on Thu morning. A picture showing the muscle I've been having problems with is below ..


  • Good Evening All,

    HS, The deletion of the original Mature Runners thread with all of it's history sounds tragic  :| Selfishly, I am very glad that you started this one.  I find Facebook to be a bit tricky as I don't really want to mix my private life with my professional life. 

    Your spin class reports are inspiring me for my cross training days.  Right now, I am just concentrating on increasing the length of the sessions. After I reach an hour of steady cycling, I'll start adding back in the standing intervals.  It's a little humbling to realize how much I would struggle in your spin class!

    WtnMel, the picture you provided is helpful in understanding your injury.  It does sound both irritating and painful. I hope that the exercises help to quickly heal the muscle.  I am glad that you and Margaret decided to wait on chopping the Christmas tree! I take it that your shoulder isn't bothering you when you run? Good job on the four miles this morning.

    I did a five mile run on the treadmill this morning and it seemed to be working just fine.  Apparently, the magnetic sensor thingy just needed to be put in position.  We still have to get the rubber mats underneath it. 

    I think I mentioned that the marathon that I want to run in the fall has around 900 feet of climbing in a 14 mile stretch.  It is very flat where I live and it is hard to find hills to run on.  The incline feature on the treadmill helps quite a lot with building hill strength.  Today's run was at a 1% incline, but I'll be inching that upwards overtime for one of my weekly runs.

    It is supposed to be extraordinarily warm on Saturday.  Near, if not reaching, 15.55 c.  As of now, I am planning on trying a 8-9 mile run Outside! Yay!  

     
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Evening all,

    Molly - they obviously started Linkedin so that people could separate their private & professional lives online. The shoulder problem isn't painful - I only notice it when doing certain things like reaching into a cupboard. The way the physio explained it was - the four muscles of the rotator cuff keeps the ball & socket shoulder joint in place .. when one of them is weak/injured, certain movements cause a niggle. It hasn't stopped me doing anything else. I run with relaxed shoulders anyway and the only thing I noticed on Tue was where the strapping pulled a little bit as I ran. Well done re the 5ml treadmill run - glad to hear the magnetic sensor thing just needed to be put back into position.

    Planning to do the 5ml club run tomorrow morning - and then on Fri I'll be playing 18 holes of golf with my friend Alan. The first time we've played since 6th Dec - but I've just been down the driving range and only around 10 of the 110 balls I hit were what I'd class as mis-hits .. so feeling fairly happy I won't show myself up after so long away from a golf course! ;)
  • Evening all,

    WtnMel, I'm the same as you really, as I use facebook in conjunction with the clubs web page mainly.
    My sister, who was a nurse, had similar problems with her shoulder and eventually had an operation. She believes it was the turning of patients in their beds that was the contributory factor. She also suffered with back ache. Since retiring, she doesn't seem to have had any problems.
    Good luck with tomorrows club run and also your golf match with Alan on Friday. I think you will be favourite, with your practice on the driving range.

    Molly, our spin sessions are officially 45 minutes, but I always arrive early to give me an additional 15 minutes to warm up. I don't stand for the hill climbs and sprints, on the advice of my physio. I believe I get extra benefits by remaining seated, as it is harder to maintain the required rpm's. It's usually 65 for hills and yesterday I managed it in gear 11.
    Well done for your 5 miles on the treadmill, and I'm glad that it seems to be working ok.
    You did mention the severe incline over a 14 mile stretch. It certainly does create a problem where you don't have many hills to practice on. Hopefully increasing the incline factor on the treadmill is a good substitute. I'm really lucky, living just .5 mile from the New Forest, where I have many hills to run up and down. Our running club which has two training sessions per week, always has one dedicated to hill work. I haven't attended a session since my injury in June 2017, but do my own work outs. I keep in close touch with my club mates, and do many training runs with them, as you will have noted from my posts.
    Good luck with your 8 or 9 mile outdoor run on Saturday.

    I ran a pathetic 5 miles on roads this morning. My heart just wasn't in it. I think I was feeling the effects of yesterdays spin, as my legs felt really heavy.
  • Good Evening All,

    WtnMel, I'm glad that all in all the shoulder injury doesn't sound too severe.  
    I hope you enjoy your 5 mile club run tomorrow. I assume that this one isn't a mystery run. 
    I have complete faith that your golf game will be admirable on Friday :smile:


    HS, I am officially envious of where you live.  My husband and I occasionally talk about relocating to somewhere in the US that is warm and supplies us with more appealing areas to run and cycle.  Maybe we'll even be able to find a friendly forest with ponies.  

    I can imagine that your legs must be awfully tired after your end of the year mileage streak combined with pushing hard in the spin class. However, I suspect that a 'pathetic' run for you would be a goal run for a lot of others :wink:  I'm sure that with a little TCL the magic will return.


    Despite yesterday's feeling of inspiration for today's bike session, the idea of getting on a bike seemed less than appealing this morning.  Instead, I bundled up and walked the dogs for a mile each.  The wind was brutal and I was pretty chilled when I got back, but I felt a lot more cheerful.  This evening, my iPhone has gone off twice with emergency alerts warning of snow squalls and whiteouts.  My husband is still at the office and texted to let me know that he was in a meeting when 10 phones alerted at once.  I think I'll be on the treadmill tomorrow, but I'm holding on to the hope of getting outside on Saturday!



  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Afternoon all,

    Feeling old and decrepit today. I 'tweaked' my back yesterday (probably lifting the xmas tree and stand outside). I was okay when at the driving range but yesterday evening it got worse. I had a bad night and wasn't at all comfortable - when I woke up today my back was very stiff (lower back/glutes) so I binned the planned run and also cancelled tomorrow's golf. I've been for a very slow wander around the village today and have been stretching/rollering to try and ease the stiffness. I was very slow and there were a couple of 'ow' moments when I was going up or down kerbs but overall, I'm glad I went out.

    HS - I can understand your sister having problems with being a nurse. Well done for persevering with your 5ml run despite your heavy legs.

    Molly - as you'll have seen from the above, I'm currently having more problems with my back than my shoulder. But I'm persevering with the shoulder exercises (once I've managed to shuffle into position on the bed - usually done without any thought - today a bit of a palaver!). I agree that one of HS's 'pathetic' runs would probably compare very favourably with one of my 'good' ones :)  Hope that bad weather didn't prove to be too horrible.
  • Good evening all,

    Molly, I'm sure that you would benefit, running wise, if you moved to a warmer, running/cycling region.A forest with ponies would be a bonus.😁
    My legs have been feeling tired, but felt much better today.
    I do hope that you and your husband stay safe in the predicted snow squalls and wipeouts. Hope also that it will be safe for you to run outdoors on Saturday.

    WtnMel, I'm sorry to hear that you have tweaked your back which is now very stiff. A slow walk in the fresh air is probably the best way to keep moving. The days of sleeping on a wooden board or bed are long gone, keeping moving being the antidote.

    Today's run in the forest was very challenging. I ran 9 miles with Sara F and Andy, in what amounted to "a mud fest" We were mid calf deep in mud at times, and at others wading through ankle deep water. The mud was rather unpleasant as there was plenty of manure churned up in it. A rather character building "run," to say the least!!
  • Good Evening All,

    WtnMel, Yikes!!  I think you have filled this year's quota for injuries before we have finished out the first month. You may be over achieving a bit :wink:  It probably was a good move to cancel your golf game and your run.  But, it is too bad about the golf game. It sounded like you were really looking forward to it.  Please take care of yourself so that you can heal quickly.


    HS, I am so glad that your legs are feeling better.  That was a quick recovery! 

    My husband waited for the snow squall to pass before he drove home last night. I appreciate you concern :smile:   We are having strange weather this year.  There still isn't that much snow on the ground, but it was bitter cold this morning.  

    As for the mudfest, you are officially one of the most committed runners I know of.  I don't think that I would have had the resolution to push through calf deep mud, and I am absolutely sure that I don't have anywhere near enough character to continue on, especially with manure churning up.  I think you and your running buddies deserve a medal for that run.  I hope that you had clean shoes to change into.  

    I wasn't feeling great today. I did an easy three miles on the treadmill and picked up the pace near the end. I had planned on running four miles, but I could feel my achilles beginning to complain, so I called it good.  It's been sore this afternoon, but tomorrow is a rest day. I am still hopeful that both the weather and the achilles will be good for a long outdoor run on Saturday.


  • Good afternoon everyone,

    Molly, glad to hear that your husband got home safely last night.
    Regarding the mud, we had managed to avoid it for the most part, by running a different route, but encountered it during the final mile. It was about a half mile stretch , and once into it, there was no turning back. When we exited the forest, we paddled in some clean puddles, which washed off all the stinking mud. 
    You were wise to cut your treadmill session short when your Achilles starting complaining. Hope you enjoyed today's rest day and that you are able to go for a long outdoor run tomorrow.

    Today was also a rest day for me, and I met up with Alice and her baby in a tea shop in the village this morning for a lite bite and tea/coffee. We like the tea shop as it is old fashioned with lovely china.
  • Good afternoon all

    Molly well done on your 5mile treadmill run with a 1% incline. It’s a shame you don’t have any hills nearby to practice on but I’m sure the incline on your treadmill will be a perfectly adequate substitute. 

     I resisted joining Facebook for a number of years,  but then realised that my club, local parkruns and other running groups use it as their main form of communication, so unfortunately I didn’t have much option. If I didn’t use Facebook I’d miss important information about local races. Also, since moving to a new build house a couple of years ago I joined the Facebook group for our estate, which has been useful as we’ve all experienced similar snagging issues in regard to the build quality of the houses, so the group is a good source of shared information and support. I do hope the weather will improve and allow you venture outdoors for your run on Saturday.


    WtnMel  sorry to hear about your back, it’s so easy to do something like that. Shame about the golf though (particularly after Wednesday’s good practice session) and your planned run, but no point in making things worse.

    When I was still working l developed rotator cuff issues which got so bad I almost ended up with a frozen shoulder, however I visited a physio, got some treatment, plus exercises, and things soon improved. I’m sure if you stick with the exercises for a week or two you’ll see the difference. 


    HS your 9 mile muddy run yesterday does indeed sound challenging as you say. It’s very tiring trying to run in those conditions, and easy for form to go resulting in injury. The manure element was particularly unwelcome I should imagine. How nice to spend your rest day with Alice and her baby in a tea shop. It sounds like my kind of tea shop, old fashioned and very civilised. You can’t beat real china for drinking tea😊. Is it tomorrow you’re intending to do your 50th parkrun?

    I haven’t had a chance to post on here lately as we’ve been busy with various things, plus we’ve had family staying with us for a couple of days. I had intended running on Tuesday, but the wind was so strong it was difficult not to get blown away when out of doors. I hate it when it’s as bad as this, it’s really quite scary. We live on a hilly housing estate, and our house is on the highest point which means we have great views over the Derwent Valley, but also means we get the worst of any weather, particularly when it’s arriving from the west as there are no buildings to break it up. Wednesday was slightly better, although very cold, so I went out for a short fartlek session. Unfortunately my Garmin struggled to get satellite connection so I’ve no reliable data from the run, but one thing was clear - I need more speed work! It was more of an effort than I’d expected. I had a physio session yesterday morning and as expected my calves were very tight after all the recent hills and mud. Also my left hamstring was, as always, quite tight. While there I mentioned about all the stitches I’d been getting recently and the physio asked me if I ever included any breathing exercises in my warm up. I admitted I’ve never considered it necessary but she reminded me that the respiratory muscles were muscles just the same as any other muscle and needed warming up before starting to run, as breathing becomes faster and deeper very quickly so putting quite a strain on them.  She gave me a demonstration of the breathing warm up she does before exercising, which looks effective but somewhat noisy and bound to draw attention. 

     I’ll probably do parkrun on Saturday so I’ll see whether I can surreptitiously fit in some breathing squats and dips before the start.😄 

  • 🙁 Parkrun was cancelled this morning as it’s been very windy overnight and when the events team checked the course this morning they found a number of branches had come down. As the winds are forecast to reach 58mph they cancelled on safety grounds. Unfortunately we’d already set off by the time the cancellation was posted (as had a number of other runners) so it was a bit of a wasted journey. I’m hoping the wind will die down enough tomorrow so I can get out for a run then. Hope everyone else has better luck if planning to run today.🤞
  • hillstriderhillstrider ✭✭✭
    edited January 2020
    Evening all,

    Aquarius, no it's actually next Saturday now when I run my 50th parkrun. It would have been today, but Sarah F had to work, so I put it off until next week. I'm hoping to have a few club mates turning out to cheer me on and also run, of course. There is a frame at the finish where runners can have their picture taken when they have an occasion to celebrate. I hope to get one so that I can post it on here. I was advised that today's parkrun was even muddier than 2 weeks ago, so just as well we didn't run.
    I'm also in need of more speed work and am gradually incorporating it  into my training runs.
    Thankfully I haven't had a stitch for many years. Perhaps I'm not running fast enough😁. That breathing exercise sounds useful and I might give it a try to see if it improves my Vo2 max.
    Sorry to hear that your parkrun was cancelled, therefore not giving your new breathing regime a chance to put into practice. Hope you are able to get out for a run tomorrow.

    I ran 7.25 miles on roads this morning in quite horrible conditions. Heavy rain and strong icy winds. I ran the first couple of miles at an easy pace and then did interval work. 4 x 90 seconds with 60 seconds recoveries, and then 3 x 4 minutes with 90 seconds recoveries. 
    I will probably have another rest day tomorrow, as I've been over doing the mileage, and need to concentrate more on quality sessions.
    I've "dug out" my cassette collection and have been listening to my Black Sabbath ones. I'm afraid I'm not into streaming music. I have most of my CD's burned onto I tunes, but my Ipod gave up the ghost a while ago, so I run without music now.
  • Good Evening All,

    WtnMel, I hope your are feeling better.


    Aquarius, Your weather conditions, cold and windy, sound very familiar.  Good for you for getting outside for even a short run.  
    I am sorry that your parkrun was cancelled. How frustrating to find out after you had already left.

    I am very curious to hear if the breathing exercises help with your side stitches. I am also a little curious as to what the exercises entail.  When I think of breathing exercises, the first thing that comes to mind is lamaze breathing, which could definitely draw some attention :smile:


    HS, Your tea with Alice and the baby sounds lovely. I've only been to a tea shop once, almost 30 years ago, when I was in London.  Coincidentally, there was an article in the local paper this week about a tea shop in a nearby town that was described as a hidden gem. This is the same town that has a recreational park that would be well suited to a parkrun.  At the moment, the town is sounding very appealing.

    I am looking forward to your 50th parkrun photo!  And, I will be cheering you on in spirit from across the pond. It does sound like it was a good choice to skip this weekend's run if it was even muddier than two weeks ago. Your new Asics must be pretty well broken in by now.  

    Good for you for sticking out your run in such awful conditions.  That sounds like a pretty demanding interval workout, as well.  I'm glad that you're taking a rest day.  

    Because I run so much on the side of the roads, I am always scared to run with headphones on. But, I'm pretty sure that listening to Black Sabbath could help increase my pace :smile:


    Today's run was discouraging.  As promised, the temperature was a lovely 14 c.  However, frozen ground + warm air+ plus ocean=ridiculously strong winds.  While I had originally planned on 8 or 9 miles, I found that after almost 4 miles the winds had picked up enough that running into them was very difficult. As a result, I headed home early.  I finished the run at a little over 6 miles, which was not wonderful.  To add insult to injury, my Garmin informed me that my lactate threshold is now a minute slower than it has been, and that I will need 3.5 days to recover from the run.  I have decided to politely ignore these tidbits of information, and just chalk them up to the increased effort versus pace from running into the wind.  Though, I do plan on a very light cross training session tomorrow and a rest day on Monday.  Despite the wind situation, it is clear to me that I still have quite a ways to go to gain back the fitness that was lost while I have been recovering from my injury.  The one positive aspect of the run is that my achilles felt pretty good.  


  • Hillstrider.
    I always use music to run with but I use my phone which is packed with music.
    I did a 10k last night which was a mixture of wind and rain but I enjoyed it so it was worth the workout.
  • Morning all,

    Molly, that recreational park and hidden tea shop sounds a perfect venue for a parkrun. A lot of park runners are attracted by the social side with hot drinks and cake after the run.
    I'm looking forward to the parkrun next Saturday, and will appreciate your encouraging vibes. 
    I've worn the new Asics several times and they are perfect. I'll be doing the parkrun again in my Salomon Speedcross 4 trail shoes. I always wear trail shoes in the forest in the winter, but in the summer when the ground is hard, road shoes are ok.
    I did find that running with my Ipod helped during long training runs, and also for speed work. I found that the Status Quo music was perfect for maintaining a steady pace. I don't very often run with my phone in case I fall and drop it in the mud🤢
    I find the Garmin stats to be wildly inaccurate. A slow run usually comes up with "3 rest days" or more, whereas a tempo run or interval session just "12 hours" It all works from algorithms and I tend to ignore the readings. Average heart rate is usually higher for steady runs than for fast ones, and I'm not the only runner that has found that.
    Hope your light cross training goes well today and you enjoy Mondays rest day. Good news that your Achilles is feeling ok.

    Damien, do you stream music from spotify to your phone?
    Well done for running 10k in the wind and rain.

    Today is a rest day and tomorrow I will be running with "The Monday Club." 
  • I copy the cds to my media player and then transfer them to my phone.
  • Good afternoon all,

    Damien, I think most runs at the moment are a mixture of wind and rain, unless you hit lucky and get a day (like today here) where the wind has dropped and the rain is replaced by blue skies. Was your 10k an organised race, or just a training run? Well done either way for battling the elements. 

    HS I used to listen to music on my iPod mini on training runs, and occasionally during races, where allowed.But I haven’t done so for a few years and find I prefer to be music free. I did find however that something energetic, such as Foo Fighters, helped when fatigue was setting in. Perhaps that’s what I need to get my speed back, maybe I should hunt out that iPod……  Good luck for next Saturday’s parkrun, pity about Sarah having to work this week, but given the conditions underfoot it was probably as well you didn’t run. I hope you can get your photo taken next week and post it on here. At least you managed to get out yesterday for 7.25 miles, although the weather sounded awful. It sounds like it was a good session despite the weather.

    Molly my physio plays rugby at county and national level (it’s becoming quite a popular sport for women in the UK) and she showed me the breathing exercises she does during her warm up. The first one needs a fence or something similar that you can hold onto at chest height, you take a long deep noisy breath in through your nose then (holding on to the fence) pull back and squat (like sitting in a chair) breathing out fully through your mouth quite forcefully, but long and slow, as if blowing up a ballon. You repeat this a couple of times (any more and you’d get dizzy!)  An alternative (or additional) exercise is to do the same in and out breath but instead of holding the fence and squatting you do walking lunges instead. I haven’t come across lamaze breathing, but will look it up.
    I’m sorry your run on Saturday was discouraging. We all have days like that I’m sure, at least on this occasion it was due to circumstances beyond your control, running into a headwind is horrible and very energy sapping. Try not to be too discouraged, returning from an injury always takes longer than we expect, and as you say the fact that your achilles didn’t give you any problems is a positive, especially given the conditions. 

    WtnMel - hope your shoulder and back are improving.

    Although I couldn’t do the Gibside parkrun yesterday I returned to Gibside today as the Great Run company hold a Great Run Local event there every Sunday. There’s a 2k or 5k both of which is timed (providing you’ve registered with them and have an ID) the 5k uses a similar route to parkrun and like parkrun it’s free. I’ve never done it before but I thought I’d give it a try today as the weather was so much better than yesterday. I think on balance I prefer the parkrun event as there were a lot less marshals at the GR local, and at one point where you could go straight on or turn right I wasn’t sure which way to go. Most runners went straight on but a couple turned right. There wasn’t a marshal there to ask, so I followed the majority and kept straight on (which turned out to be the right option fortunately). However on the plus side the GR local event did a group warm up at the start which was a good idea as the course is very hilly. If you are wondering about my breathing exercises…….I did a quick sneaky couple using a fence in the car park before going up to the start area. That way no one else saw or heard me ;) I’m not sure whether I’d be brave enough to do them in front of all the other runners as they would tend to draw attention.
  • Good Afternoon Everyone,

    Damien Nagle,  Good job on your 10k!  


    HS, thank you for sharing the brand of trail shoes that you use. I've been looking for some good ones, as my current ones are quite old and falling apart.

    Up to now, I have been very lucky with my Garmin. Over time, it has shown to be quite accurate. And, now, that I have had time to consider yesterday's horrible run, I sadly suspect that it was accurate, then, as well.  I've been very very busy lately, and, when I'm busy, I tend to forget to eat. Yesterday morning I headed out for the run with nothing but an energy chew and large mug of sweetened coffee in my stomach.  For an easy run, that would not have been a wonderful choice, but I doubt that it would have affected me so much.  However, for the effort yesterday's run entailed, I definitely needed more fuel.  Basically, I 'bonked' due to my own silliness.  My legs feel pretty good today, but I still have that overtrained, semi-wrecked feeling that goes with bonking.  All in all, it was a good lesson to be reminded of.  That being said, I have changed the data screen on my Garmin so that it no longer reflects my heart rate zones, and I am trying to run more by feel. I like the idea of not being quite so dependent on the watch :smile:

    I do like to listen to music when I'm running on the treadmill.  Are you allowed to wear headphones during races where you are? Here it is usually 'not allowed' but many runners do anyway.

    I hope that you enjoy your rest day.


    Aquarius, Lamaze breathing is a type of breathing to help women during labour. It generally has short fast bursts that alternate in rhythm.  However, what you are describing sounds a lot more involved.  If other runners see you performing the exercises, I bet they will want to know the what and why of it.  Before you know it, you will have a entire row of runners performing the exercises with you.  

    I'm glad that you had a good experience at the Gibson Park run. Especially with the improved weather conditions. I really hope that the nicer weather holds out for you a bit longer.

    Thank you for the encouraging words :smile: May we all have only stellar runs from now on!


    WtnMel,  I hope you are feeling better.


    This morning I woke up to a temperature of 18c! However, by tonight the temperature is supposed to fall to -1 c. And, over the next few days we will be back into the snow and frigid cold.  The one drawback to today is the wind advisory.  As I'm still feeling the effects of yesterday's run debacle, I am going to skip the bike and take the dogs down to the beach for a long windy walk. This may be the last warm weather for several more months!







  • I do a 10k training run (in the evening)if I have to work on a Saturday morning otherwise I will do the park run in the morning.
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